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Andy Murray out for the rest of the year and plans return in early 2018

By Veronica Elizabeth Bruno

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 12: Andy Murray of Great Britain talks during a press conference on day nine of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Toth - AELTC Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 12: Andy Murray of Great Britain talks during a press conference on day nine of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Toth - AELTC Pool/Getty Images) /
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Andy Murray announced to his fans that he will be taking the rest of 2017 off to allow his injured hip to heal properly, and is planning to come back to tennis in early 2018, just before the Australian Open.

The toll of playing monstrous tennis the second half of last year has wreaked havoc on Andy Murray’s body and he’s struggled with injuries since the start of the year. He went out early at the Australian Open and took some time off to nurse an elbow injury in the first quarter of the year. Despite making some strides during the clay season and progressing to the semis at the French Open and the quarters in Wimbledon, he’s played far less than he did last year.

The second half of 2016 was a career highlight for the Glasgow native, as he collected a record second gold medal after winning his second Wimbledon, and then went on to clinch Masters 1000 among other titles, and the ATP World Tour final —  all in the second half of the year.

But 2017 has seen the Scot lose his number one ranking to Rafa Nadal and his only title came in the early part of this year at Dubai. Like Djokovic, and Federer and Nadal last year, Murray is the latest Big Four deciding to take the time to heal his body in a sport that’s seeing many of the greats stay in it into their thirties. It’s a new trend and all four icons in tennis have decided that prolonged breaks are a necessity if they want to stay in the game.

“Having consulted with a number of leading hip specialists over the last week, along with my own team, we have decided that this is the best decision for my long-term future,” Murray announced on his social media accounts.

“Although this has been a frustrating year on court for many reasons, I’m confident after this extended period of rest and rehabilitation that I will be able to reach my best level again and be competing for Grand Slam titles next season.”

Murray is looking to holistically heal, rather than hit the surgery table, something that other players applaud as the right decision for longevity.

“The more time you take out the better you recover,” said former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski. “[Doctors] said if you have surgery there’s a 5 percent chance it’ll get better, 45 percent chance it could stay the same, and 45 percent chance it could get worse. He’s doing the right thing taking the rest of the season off.”

Although the British player won’t be able to defend the post-U.S. Open titles in Shanghai and Beijing that helped him propel to No. 1 last year, he will be looking forward to something more meaningful, the birth of his second child, due in October.

There is one chance to watch the three-time grand slam champion over the fall, however.

“I’m looking forward to playing in Glasgow later this year against Roger [Federer] for UNICEF UK and Sunny-sid3up,” Murray said in his statement.

Currently ranked No. 2, he will lose that ranking to Federer come Monday, and will likely see his ranking further slide.

Novak Djokovic and his wife also just had their second child and he’s not scheduled to come back until the new year as well. Maybe the beginning of 2018 will see all of the Big Four return rested, recuperated and injury-free. One can hope.

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